Thank you for all your responses. I currently have an online bank that pays 1.4% with minimal restrictions. For me, there are too many hoops to negotiate to obtain an extra half a point interest. Actually, you can get an extra 1.6 points of interest (3%) on up to $15K with the Lake Michigan Credit ...

wow, was not intended to be a controversial statement. anoop, I don’t understand what you’re saying. why do you think I bonds pay double the rate of inflation? mhop, I agree. i do buy the max EE bonds every year. they are not risk free. because they must be held twenty years i demand a return premiu...

That's what Jamie dimon said sixty days ago. This week he said, "I'm open-minded to cryptocurrencies." Et tu, Dimon? Things change fast. An asset that has risen 2000% in a year will inevitably attract attention. Exchanges are opening up, derivatives are inevitable. It was a pyramid of derivatives wh...

Nothing. The total value of all bitcoin is a rounding error compared to the trillions in assets moving around the world daily. I’m not so sure. With exchanges opening up leverage and derivatives will more and more become part of the game. These will amplify the effects of price movement of the unde...

A long period of low or falling interest rates is a possibility. EE bonds are a hedge against that possibility. I have others, such as treasuries, but they yield less. EEs are suitable for a portion of my fixed income, but because of the limits on liquidity they should almost never be one’s sole fi...

A long period of low or falling interest rates is a possibility. EE bonds are a hedge against that possibility. I have others, such as treasuries, but they yield less. EEs are suitable for a portion of my fixed income, but because of the limits on liquidity they should almost never be one’s sole fi...

A long period of low or falling interest rates is a possibility. EE bonds are a hedge against that possibility. I have others, such as treasuries, but they yield less. EEs are suitable for a portion of my fixed income, but because of the limits on liquidity they should almost never be one’s sole fix...

Your current savings rate would seem overkill to continue indefinitely, but if your goal is really to pay for, say, private university and medical school, then it's too early to cut back. Today's dollars have more value than tomorrow's, whether saved for college or used to buy a vacation home. We lu...

However this is not a service I could use, for example, while Mrs. letsgobobby was home alone with the kids. I wouldn't want her having to interact with the mechanic the way I needed to. She would prefer a more traditional service regardless of the cost. Why not? Because she doesn't have the same k...

The premium fluctuates over time. When the prior prepaid plan closed down, the premium was almost 60%. That's one of the reasons I'm attracted to this offering: it seems to me the state actuaries have a history of mispricing risk. I expect the price of tuition to rise more than they project over tim...

If I wanted to move $1,000,000 without anyone knowing about it, I would definitely not use USD. Sure whatever. I get that. Criminals like bitcoin. What OTHER uses does it have that makes it superior to just using dollars? It's not just criminals, it's anyone who values privacy. The market is extrem...

If I wanted to move $1,000,000 without anyone knowing about it, I would definitely not use USD. Sure whatever. I get that. Criminals like bitcoin. What OTHER uses does it have that makes it superior to just using dollars? It's not just criminals, it's anyone who values privacy. The market is extrem...

And if I don't believe that the supply of cryptoUSD is fixed? Why am I in it? Why is it useful that the supply of bitcoin is fixed? Has that made it LESS volatile? It dropped 20% in one day. The fact that the U.S. government can print more dollars hasn't caused that many issues. 2%-3% annual inflat...

I live in a HCOL area and I am currently looking for a house. I've been reading articles about the "prohibited topic," and many are very pessimistic about what it may do to housing costs and job growth in my area. I realize much of this is speculation. However, it did spark a question in me. One of...

The motorcyclesarecool family has been in the market for a house for the past year. Yesterday our buyer’s agent contacted us about a property that was at least 95% of our ideal and reasonably priced. We set up a showing for today. Showing was cancelled because the house went under contract last nig...

One actionable suggestion: see if there is a forcing function in your life. I have a few - I have a charitable giving match at work, I read the financials at my congregation and thus know the “cost per member” to support the place, and we have set a charitable giving target from each paycheck. Any ...

There is a good chance I will be partly or completely retired within ten years. We do have other 529 money, which is invested in stocks. This is really asking if a prepaid 529 might be superior to a taxable muni bond fund, even if the funds aren't ultimately used for higher education. The SEC yield ...

That’s helpful. Thank you! I have a Google Drive with extra storage, mostly used for photos. Can buy more as needed for other docs. I see now that I can upload those Excel and Word docs to Google Drive and access them through MS Office cloud. I currently use an iPad with a keyboard. If I’m just goi...

Going to try this in a new format to possibly solicit more input/perspectives. I am currently invested in VWIUX (Vanguard intermediate term tax exempt muni bond fund). I am considering transferring that investment to the Washington state 529 (named GET, Guaranteed Education Tuition) which is a prepa...

Is there any real value behind bitcoin other than the belief that someone in the future will pay more for a coin? Will scalability challenges eventually reach a tipping point and trigger a doomsday scenario crash leaving bitcoin owners with nothing in the end? Personally I am very surprised by all ...

Assuming you want $2M @ age 65: If you start saving for retirement at age 25 with zero debt, how much do you need to save on average using IRA/401k and Target Date Funds? Just a rough estimate. Assuming some people may save/make more as they get closer to retirement and buy a house when they are yo...

Assuming you want $2M @ age 65: If you start saving for retirement at age 25 with zero debt, how much do you need to save on average using IRA/401k and Target Date Funds? Just a rough estimate. Assuming some people may save/make more as they get closer to retirement and buy a house when they are yo...

Before we get anymore righteous, indignant or nutty, please let us step back a bit and see the bigger picture. Many large companies that self-insure run what I call mini pools of universal coverage. Any employee and their family can join. The employer share of premiums is not paid out if you choose...

if the lot is big enough a trailer could a purpose. but i wouldnt want to live in it for months on end unless the weather is very nice where you live. for us it has been a wonderful, short term guest room.

i went ahead and opened accounts. funded one unit each just to get a foot in the door. have til mid June to buy at this price so plenty of time to think about it. i will either transfer assets from a traditional 529 or sell muni bonds to fund.

The problem with using an individual as trustee is that individuals die. The decedent may have picked the most capable and most honorable individual in the world to be his trustee, but would have almost no influence on the choice of successor trustee. That is one of the reasons we have strongly cons...

"JT: Thank you for your comments. I am thinking along the same lines. In my state, 401K assets and 529 assets are exempt from creditors in the case of bankruptcy. We have put a lot of our assets into those vehicles -- far more in the 529s than is necessary to pay for college tuition. In addition, m...

Thanks to both of you. Just thinking of stuff like .... the first part of the distribution each year should fund a Roth (for example) and the total distribution in a year cannot exceed the adjusted gross income of the prior year or other things like that to kind of govern the distribution of the as...

Granted, he “saw the light” nearly 4 years ago, when BTC was $114. He bought $10K worth. I’m thinking it might be time to take some profits. He is a working stiff, but also a business man and a smart one at that. His opinion is that if if it goes to zero, $10K won’t break him, but if he sells, he m...

If you have an adverse outcome. Say a heart attack or cancer youre looking at 200k+ for those bills. Once u have the acute phase over ur looking at the maintenance phase. Upwards of 20k a year. This excludes medications easily upwards 50k for cancer meds. Al for one uninsured pt. Just my 2 cents. O...

I carried my daughter til she was 3; but between food, water, diapers, her, etc., the pack pushed 50# by the end, and depending on one’s fitness level, that may no longer qualify as ‘fun.’ My day hikes shrank in length until the day I stopped carrying her, at which point they grew again.

Thanks all for those who've responded (and please keep them coming!). Yellowstone and Yosemite are near the very, very top of my must-see list, which would lean me toward wanting to go there no matter what. On the other hand, I feel those trips are so big that I'd want to do them with absolutely no...

Are you paying 1% for investments in addition to a fee to manage the trust? Or is the 1% the all in fee? If the latter then you are getting a good deal. Many institutions charge twice that. Market pricing? Yes. Fair price? Maybe. "Good deal," I will tend to disagree. 1% per year for anybody to "man...

...it seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... You are kidding yourself if you think this is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." I'm sure there are PLENTY of other opportunities for you to spend $1M on a house. I'm surprised more people haven't pointed this out. houss come and houses go, but...